Fauxie said:

Odd... I would think our people take the piss out of everythinggggg!

Double odd... I have traveled North America extensively and have found people to run both hot and cold equally.

Muse2NOPharaoh said:

'our people'?

Muse2NOPharaoh said:

From my jaunts to America I found people in general to be pretty friendly. I mean, there's that over-the-top Denny's friendliness, but everyday folks we bumped into and interacted with were all very polite and courteous. Of course, when you're a tourist, especially in a tourist area or environment (hotel, resort, theme park etc.) I think that makes a difference.

I've found people in the US, Thailand, Ireland and New Zealand to be noticably friendlier than those in other countries I've visited, but that's only from relatively limited experience.

Interesting that you'd bring this up, meow. I was just talking about this to my wife yesterday.

I'm not sure what BCers are truly like (I visited Vancouver only once for a few days in 2000 and generally enjoyed the folk there), but I've been a bit suprised by Torontonians. Canadians do have the reputation of being nice -- almost to a fault, but I haven't found Torontonians to be particularly so. They are often really cool and giving, almost unusually so, if/when they have "business" with you, but I've found that if they don't know you, they don't speak... even when you say "hi" first. I've held doors for people, used "please" and "thank you," called people "sir" or "ma'am," and yet I can't tell you how many folk here -- male, female, black, white, young, old -- have looked me dead in the eye and kept going like I wasn't there. It's been a bit off-putting. (By the way, this doesn't characterize all Torontonians... but enough that I've noticed.)

I've chalked it up to a few possibilities: 1) Maybe they're rude because they can detect I am American (and, yes, there are noticeable differences); 2) maybe I look funny ; or 3) the differences in civility are regional. I think big city folk, in general, tend to be less cognizant of social graces. If I were in Thunder Bay, Ont., for example, aside from the shock of seeing a black guy , I bet they'd be more pleasant in the aggregate.

As Americans go, northerners -- and particularly coastal northerners -- are known for being less genteel than others... particularly southerners. But, again, I think that's oversimplified. It's more a regional thing: From what I've seen, folk from Georgia accept you as pretty much a cousin at "hello," whereas Texans, from what I saw, are a bit more suspicious. And, interestingly, I've never found New Yorkers to be rude, despite their reputation. But Bostonians, as much as I love their city (even considered a move there), are rude as hell!
[Edited 10/8/06 21:22pm]

CarrieMpls said:

You guys are darned-near Canadians. So you don't count.

By the way, you Canadians can claim "nice" all y'all want, but the Quebecois are c.r.a.z.y ... especially behind the wheel of a car!

Lammastide said:

You got that right!

Fauxie said:

I meant yourrrrr people.... My bad...

I have never had difficulty anywhere.... I am of the belief the earth is what you make it and what you bring to it....

Muse2NOPharaoh said:

xenophobe!

Muse2NOPharaoh said:

hippy!

meow85 said:

f@ck manners! who the f%ck needs 'em??!!

Fauxie said:

CarrieMpls said:

I knew a lady from Minneapolis, and nice she was not, nor polite.

But, they are not you, and Dej, and that nice fella. Can't recall his name.

Manners.

Pffft.

I want to thank all of my U.S. orger friends here who have it in themselves to be polite when they are visting across different borders. i cannot tell you HOW many times, living in Europe, that I am embarrassed to hell because when we travel to other places we are the LOUDEST ones on trains or in shops. A group of Americans on a subway for 3 train stops you get their entire life story, who they're having sex with, who they want to sex with, and isues that generally should be left in discussion behind closed doors with trusted friends or a paid psychiatrist. At restaurants we behave even worse. I had a friend treat a group of corporate colleagues from the States to dinner at a fantastic restaurant besides the Louvre; while one of the best chefs in Paris was cooking his ass off for us and sending us bewildering course after bewildering course, there was the most annoying woman in our group who kept using her Blackberry thingy to text message a new boyfriend in NY, then proceed to report contents of the conversation back to the table...LOUDLY. In short I wanted to smack her. Or at least stick that electronic device into her soup tureen if not up into some bodily crevice of hers

..and trust me, I don't even say this simply because I don't live in the US anymore, but because I think on the whole our manners and social mores in the US have declined into a proverbial toilet. I can remember when it wasn't always this way, and in fact would be willing to bet that EVEN TODAY one of my elderly parents would be so inclined to smack the living shit out of any of their adult children who would display such boisterousness or lack of courtesy in public. They came from a different time and place where manners were considered a valuable part of societal structure, regardless of race, creed, or social class

Well, we have this arrogant attitute here where we thing: "well, it's that person's job to wait on me, that's what they get paid to do, why should I act like we are friends."

We run the world, so we also want to act like we know everything. Don't mind us, Bush fucks up your mind.

CynthiasSocks said:

I'm a Southern girl too. I'm not polite to the point where it's sickening, but I always say "thank you" and "excuse me" when asking someone for something. I hate when people don't hold the door for you when you're right behind them. Damn I could see if I was a distance from the door....but standing right behind the person is like a slap in the face. Some people have actually held the door for me when I was a distance away. That's nice of them. And just when I thought chivalry was dead, this boy in one of my classes opened the door for me, allowing me to go before him. I hadn't seen that in a long time....even here...in the South.

I'm a straight up snobby jerk, but I always say "please" and "thank you".

I KILL AMERICANS AND TAKE SHITS ON THEIR CORPSES.

Spookymuffin said:

Spookymuffin said:

hey wait a minute, you love Trent so I know that isn't true
[Edited 10/9/06 14:35pm]

purplecam said:

I ride the subway every day, so I know what you mean.

The thing about us New Yorkers is, we don't suffer fools. We have places to go, money to make, and we have no time for nonsense. For example, I work in the Empire State Building. It amazes me how many out-of-towners don't know how to use a f-n revolving door. Sometimes they go through two or three at a time, or they just stand there and look at it - I'm like, WTF? Get off the stupid pills. When I see that sh!t, I push through fast as I can - f--- 'em, I have to get to work.

But I do give kids, old folks & pregnant woman a break.

Spookymuffin said:

evenstar3 said:

Except you. You're gorgeous and geeky. You can build my computer empire with me.

uPtoWnNY said:

I am SO with you. I always tell visitors from out of town, "New York is like a finely oiled machine, people have places to go & things to do and as long as you don't fuck up the flow, they'll be nice to ya. But if you stop in the middle of the damn sidewalk, or wait 'til you're in front of the turnstile to look for your MTA card, etc. you're fucking up the flow!"

I totally do the same thing with the revolving doors too...I do it to people who saunter through slowly as well.


But in response to the topic, I'm *usually* pretty polite to retail workers, servers, etc. because I had to work in a movie theater concession stand when I was in college and got treated like absolute shit. I do become impatient when the person with whom I'm dealing is a complete idiot and completely unhelpful, though. I never yell at anyone, but I can turn into a super bitch if necessary.

psychodelicide said:

Aww shucks. Thanks

uPtoWnNY said:

I am so with you on that. I actually work a block from you at Macy's so I really understand . Tourists have this "Deer in the Headlight" look on their faces from Herald Square to Times Square. I must say, in spite of what I said earlier in the thread, I really do love NYC but we have our issues(as all cities do) and truth be told, I am a fast walker and almost everyday I nearly run into someone because people will suddenly stop in the middle of the street like it's nothing. Now that's rude to me as well, but I'll say sorry even if I'm not in the wrong. I just wish the slow people would go to the sides and let the faster people in the center of the sidewalks. That's all I want.

Americans are impolite because every day at the crack of dawn a gang of Football players and talking Humvees visits our homes to take a giant, collective dump on our heads.

It's actually something of a national secret and I will probably be executed for even mentioning it. All I ask is that my fellow countrymen keep their silence, lest they want to meet the same fate.